2018 Car scrappage deals

Get up to £5,500 for trading in an old motor: the details and deals of current scrappage schemes

There's still time to save up to £5,500 on a brand new car by trading in your old vehicle with a manufacturer-run scrappage scheme.

Until the end of June, at least six brands are offering discounts to drivers who exchange their older, more polluting car for a new, cleaner model. Van drivers can benefit too.

There are no official government-backed scrappage schemes at the moment, so these car maker-run incentives may offer the best value for an ageing vehicle.

All schemes listed below will accept old vehicles made by any manufacturer, and guarantee a fixed discount, no matter what your car is worth. In most cases, you'll also benefit from other savings but there are some key points that are worth considering:

Other new car offers (such as finance incentives) are not always available in combination with scrappage schemes

You may pay less by part-exchanging your current car - especially if it's worth more than £2,000

Your current vehicle will normally need to be more than seven years old, and fail to meet the latest emissions regulations. Jump to our table below to see if your car is eligible. Scrappage schemes offer a way of escaping future diesel charges, which will be targeted at these older vehicles.

Only brand new cars are available under scrappage. The discounts can be used to reduce the overall price of a car or as a deposit on a finance agreement.

Read on for our guide to the best-value schemes or click below to jump to the details of each scrappage scheme and the best deals from each manufacturer:

Is my car eligible for a scrappage scheme?

Every manufacturer has different scrappage scheme rules but most schemes are only open to cars that are more than seven years old, and which fail to meet the latest emissions regulations, known as Euro 5 and Euro 6.

This includes most cars that were first registered before January 2011 when the earlier Euro 4 (EU4) regulations were in force. The standard of your car may be on its registration document. If not, the manufacturer will be able to supply it. You'll need to have owned your car for at least 90 days to take advantage of most scrappage schemes, although some require six months of ownership.

Car age

Ford, Hyundai, Mazda

BMW

Kia

Toyota

Registered before July 1, 2010

✔

✔ EU4 & lower

✔

✔

Registered July-December 2010

✔

✔ EU4 & lower

✔

✘

Registered January-June 2011

✘

✘

✔

✘

nb Offers open to EU4 cars are also available for cars that only meet earlier Euro 1, 2 or 3 emissions regulations.

You can read more about each manufacturer's scrappage scheme below. It’s worth moving quickly: most schemes will end in June - by which time your car will need to have been delivered.

What are the best scrappage scheme deals?

There are big differences in the savings offered by scrappage schemes: some are poor value for certain buyers but a great deal for others.

For example, most schemes simply offer a fixed discount towards a new car. If your current vehicle is worth more than the scrappage savings, then you will be better off part-exchanging it. Compare quotes, with discounted prices of new cars and a valuation calculator for your existing vehicle.

That doesn't apply to BMW and Hyundai, which offer the trade-in value of your car, in addition to a scrappage discount, making these schemes more attractive to anyone with an older car that's still worth several thousands of pounds.

We've highlighted some of the best deals below, or you can jump to the details of each manufacturer's scheme. If you need a cheaper option, then search for deals on used and nearly-new cars.

Best scrappage schemes with the biggest discounts

The biggest scrappage saving is being offered by Mazda with £5,500 towards new Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 diesels.

Hyundaiisn't far behind with £5,000 towards a new Santa Fe, although this model is much more expensive than the Mazda 3 to begin with.

With the all-new Focus now available to order, Ford has large discounts on the old model including £4,850 off Ford Focus Titanium and Titanium X models (above).

It’s also knocking £3,850 off a Kuga diesel crossover. There are further savings available on these cars through BuyaCar. In general, you'll save an extra £1,500 by trading your car in under the scrappage scheme. If your vehicle is worth less than this, then it's a good deal. If it's worth more than £1,500, then you're better off part-exchanging it.

Best scrappage deals on the cheapest cars

A £2,000 saving on the new Kia Picanto cuts the cost of the cheapest version to less than £7,500, which is considerably better than the current new car discounts.

There's £1,500 off a Toyota Aygo, which doesn't apply to the cheapest version (Aygo x), but reduces the price of the Aygo x-play to £9,005, which is at least £1,000 better non-scrappage savings. Ford's £2,000 incentive towards the Fiesta cuts the entry-level price of this car to less than £10,000 when combined with existing dealer discounts.

The starting price of the Mazda 2 (above) is cut to £9,695, thanks to a £3,000 scrappage incentive.

Scrappage schemes 2018

BMW scrappage scheme

Name BMW Upgrade SchemeDiscount available £2,000Cars accepted for trade-in Diesel cars that don’t meet Euro 5 and 6 emissions standards (most vehicles sold before 2011)Cars available to buy Any model with CO2 emissions under 130g/kmRegistration deadline June 30, 2018

This includes the small and cheapest 1 Series (above), electric i3 and the 7 Series limousine. You’ll also get your car’s trade-in value and existing discounts that are offered on new cars, which can add up to significant savings, making this one of the best-value schemes.

The offer is only open to diesel car owners who have had their car for at least a year and the vehicle must only meet the old Euro 4 emissions standard (or earlier Euro 1, 2 or 3 standards). These cars were sold up to December 31, 2010.

BMW's excellent 3-Series is available for £250 a month, thanks to savings and scrappage discount of more than £7,000. It does require you to add in a deposit of almost £7,000, but this can be reduced for higher monthly payments.

Ford scrappage scheme

Discount available £2,000 to £7,000Cars accepted for trade-in Vehicles registered before January 1, 2011Vehicles available to buy Fiesta, B-Max, EcoSport, Focus, C-Max, Kuga and Transit modelsRegistration deadline No end date announced

Ford’s scrappage scheme is among the most generous, with discounts and scrappage incentives adding up to £7,000 off a Transit van. You can also save £4,850 on Focus Titanium and Titanium X models, get £3,850 off a Kuga diesel and reduce the price of a Fiesta (above) by £2,000. However, the allowances are restricted to certain trim levels, so check that the one you want qualifies. The Mondeo and Edge are not available as part of the scheme at all.

Although you won't be able to benefit from all of the existing Ford discounts, you will be able to combine the scrappage offer with considerable savings. In general, cars bought under the scrappage scheme are £1,500 cheaper than those that aren't, so if your current car is worth less than £1,500, it's worth taking advantage.

Hyundai’s scrappage scheme offers an impressive £5,000 discount off the large seven-seat Santa Fe and you'll get your car's trade-in value too - as long as it meets the Euro 4 emissions standard, which was mandatory for cars sold from 2006. Older cars get the discount but no trade-in.

The scrappage incentives are smaller as you go down the range, with £4,000 offered on the new i30 (above) and £1,500 off all versions of the i10 city car. You'll be eligible for a deal if you have a petrol or diesel car that was registered before January 1, 2011.

Manufacturer discounts aren’t available as part of Hyundai’s scheme, so you should compare any scrappage deal with a new car quote to ensure that you’re not missing out on a better deal.

Hyundai’s new i30 (pictured above) is solid, comfortable and spacious. The scrappage incentive is a saving of more than 20%, while the trade-in value of your current car (assuming it qualifies) can be used towards a deposit for finance at 3.9%. Additional discounts may be available through BuyaCar.

Kia scrappage scheme

Name Kia Scrappage SchemeDiscount available £2,000Cars accepted for trade-in Vehicles registered before June 30, 2011Cars available to buy Picanto, Stonic and Cee'dRegistration deadline June 30, 2018

Kia wins points for simplicity. If your car was registered ibefore June 30, 2011 and you've owned it for at least three months then you can benefit from a £2,000 scrappage incentive on a Picanto (above), Stonic or Cee'd.

The incentive can be combined with some other finance discounts (not all), and the cars will generally be £1,500 cheaper with the scrappage offer, than by using all of the non-scrappage savings.

Mazda scrappage scheme

Name Mazda Scrappage Scheme - Upgrade Plan Discount available £3,000 to £5,500Vehicles accepted for trade-in Any car registered before December 31, 2010Cars available to buy Mazdas with CO2 emissions of under 136g/km Registration deadline June 30, 2018

There’s no bad car in Mazda’s range, especially with £4,500-£5,500 off the Mazda 3 family hatchback (above) and a £3,500 saving on the popular CX-3 small crossover

The payment is fixed, no matter which car you trade in (it must have been registered before the end of 2010), so the offer is best for drivers with a car that’s worth very little. If you have a vehicle that’s worth more than £2,000, then you may get a better deal by part-exchanging it, as you’ll get your car’s value, plus the current, non-scrappage savings, which add up to more than £3,000 on a Mazda 3, and the option of 0% finance.

The biggest Mazda 3 discounts are available on diesel cars (£5,500 compared with petrol models at £4,500), cutting a quarter off the price of the spacious and smooth hatchback. Additional discounts may be available through BuyaCar too.

Toyota scrappage scheme

Discount available £1,000 to £4,000Cars accepted for trade-in Any vehicle registered before July 1, 2010Cars available to buy Every Toyota model except for certain entry-level specificationsRegistration deadline Order by July 1, 2018

Any car or light van registered in 2009 or earlier is eligible for Toyota's scrappage scheme, which offers up to £4,000 off a new car from its range, with the exception of certain entry-level models.

The popular C-HR crossover only attracts an incentive of £1,000, rising to £2,000 for for models including the Aygo city car (above) and Prius hybrid. There's £2,500 off Yaris and RAV4 models, and a £3,000 incentive for the Auris. The maximum £4,000 discount is only available if you buy a brand new Land Cruiser.

The discount is fixed for each model, so you won't get any extra trade-in value for your car, and you won't be able to take advantage of any other discounts or finance incentives, so it's important to check that you wouldn't get a better deal by part-exchanging your existing car for a new one that benefits from other Toyota discounts - for example, Toyota is offering £2,500 off a Rav4 under scrappage, but you can save more under existing Buyacar deals

Big discounts on city cars are few and far between, so the opportunity to get £1,500off the small but bold Aygo (above) represents a decent deal. The Aygo x-play has air conditioning, digital radio plus Bluetooth, and costs from £9,005 with the scrappage discount - you may also get a further discount through BuyaCar, which you can check by clicking 'Apply for scrappage' above. This deal is best value if the car you're trading in is worth very little. If not, you may be better off part-exchanging it for a new Aygo x-play with almost £1,000 off and 0% finance.

Government car scrappage scheme

The original government car scrappage scheme was launched in April 2009, in the wake of the 2008 global recession.

Designed to revive Britain’s ailing economy by kickstarting sales of new cars, it offered £2,000 off the cost of a brand new car for anyone trading in a vehicle more than ten years’ old, which was then scrapped.

The government put up a total of £400m to support the scheme, which was matched by the car industry. The incentive ended in March 2010, with around 400,000 cars sold. There is no indication that another general government incentive will be launched, but there may be some local diesel scrappage schemes in areas of poor air quality.